


What a Pretty Picture

by NightshadeDawn



Series: That happened... [13]
Category: Free!
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Royalty, I don't know, I'm Sorry, M/M, Nitori dies, Why am I doing this?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 04:58:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11844417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightshadeDawn/pseuds/NightshadeDawn
Summary: The Darkness surrounds the heart of everyone. Whether we chose to let it take hold or not is another story. And sometimes, it only takes a single spark.And once that spark is lit, everything goes to hell.





	What a Pretty Picture

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the prompt: "You made me lose my love once. Now you will lose yours a thousand times."

        "Don't let the Darkness get to you," his mother always told him. "Always be strong, always keep your heart pure."

        The magic always flowed better that way, anyway. Haru never did anything that warranted the Darkness sticking to him. 

        Love, it is said, is the purest magic of all. 

        When Haru fell in love with the Prince Makoto, he felt at his strongest. His powers grew tenfold. 

        But he watched in despair as his best friend and fellow mage, Rin, allowed the darkness to envelope him. Haru could not say what had turned him, not one could. He disappeared soon after. 

        It was many years later before Makoto admitted his feelings for Haru, though he had felt them all along. 

        Many years the two were together. A time of peace and tranquility was in the kingdom, led by the now King Makoto, and Haru by his side. 

        Then the kingdom was attacked. 

        War broke out, it was dark and charred where it had once been bright and beautiful. 

        Rin appeared, leading the head of the army. Dressed in the darkest of black cloaks and wielding the Darkest of magic.

        He fought Rin, one on one, in a battle to end all battles. 

        Soldiers from both sides were dying left and right. Haru and Rin were locked together in a standstill. 

        Rin broke away from the interlocked staffs, dark shadows crossing his eyes. They locked on Makoto, sword crossed with another solider. A malicious grin spread across his face, exposing his pointed teeth.

        He hissed a spell through his teeth, a vibrant orb of green light growing at the top of his staff. 

        With the spell complete, his whipped his staff straight out from him.

        It was pointed at Makoto. 

        Haru realized what Rin was doing a moment too late.

        The orb was flying, small electric bolts sparking out of it and cracking in the air. 

        Haru jumped to intercept it.

        His hand was out to catch it-

        It flew past him, just barely, and he hit the dirt. 

        Haru watched in fear, his eyes wide, as the orb hit Makoto.

        It blasted a hole through his chest, burned and charred and large. He crumpled to the ground, Haru stumbling over himself to get to the man. The solider who'd been fighting Makoto hadn't been able to escape, either, and lay dying a few feet away.

        Haru's eyes leaked as he crawled over to Makoto and pulled his head into his lap. 

        Makoto grinned painfully, his eyes already fading. He reached his hand up to touch Haru's face. It had barely touched Haru before it dropped back down ungracefully. 

        "No, no, no, don't do this to me," Haru begged, grabbing Makoto's hand and holding it tightly up to his cheek. "Please, please, please."

        But he was gone. 

        A black storm swirled inside of Haru. 

        Faster and faster and faster and _faster_ \- until a string _snapped_. 

        Logic? Morality? Kindness?

        No one will never know. 

        They say love is the purest of all forms of magic. What they don't know is that it is also the darkest. 

        And Haru could now see the silvery white string that bound some to others by love. Haru lifted his staff as he stood and it became curled and tangled and snarled in his hand, going black and growing sharp thorns. 

       "You made me lose my love _once_ ," he growled, his eyes locking on the small, silver haired boy cowering behind Rin. "Now you will lose yours a _thousand times_."

        Legitimate fear crossed Rin's eyes as Haru tossed the spell at him. 

        He tried to stand in the way of the spell, to shield Nitori from it, but it blasted through him and knocked him away. 

        Nitori's face was stark white and he was frozen in fear. Then he screamed, oh _God_ , did he scream.

        The sound ripped from his throat, a thousand years worth of pain pouring out of him in the one sound. He collapsed to the ground and Rin rushed to his side. 

         But by the time Rin had reached him, he was already gone. 

         The War of Mages was over, but neither Rin nor Haru were ever found. 

         The only thing left of them was the devastation of the Darkest Love.

* * *

         The second time Rin met Nitori was another life time all together. 

         Rin was a king, Nitori was a servant. 

         A king can have whatever he wants, it is said. Rin wanted for nothing. 

         Nothing but Nitori. 

         Nitori was his life, his love, his sunshine, his moonlight. His everything.

         There were many difficulties, trying to even fall in love and stand on equal ground despite their difference of status. But it happened, and the love was deep. 

         There came a night when they shared a bed, Nitori curled up protectively in Rin's arms, that Nitori breathed his last breath. 

         No pain, no screams, no blood. Just an ocean of tears when Rin awoke the next morning.

* * *

        The fiftieth time Rin met Nitori, he was a samurai and Nitori was the twelfth son of the emperor.

        Traveling with him was Haru, another well accomplished swordsman. The two were known far and wide as heroes. 

        As such, the mighty emperor had implored them to accompany his son Achiro to one of the many estates in the country to secure a treaty through marriage.

        The journey was long and hard, and many times all three risked their lives. 

        Everyone knows the story. Aichiro and Rin fell in love, deeply. Rin had a hard time letting Aichiro go, but Aichiro had to do it to secure the treaty for his father. 

         A week after the wedding night, Aichiro fell sick. He worsened every day, until he was so delirious he could barely remember his own name.

         But he remembered Rin, and he would call out for him in his sleep. 

         Rin, who stayed in a tavern to drink away his heartbreak, was summoned by Aichiro's wife herself. 

         When he heard of Aichiro's condition, Rin immediately sobered and was at the boy's side in an instant.

         It seemed to be a miraculous recovery. Aichiro was wide awake and eating and drinking normally. But he refused to allow Rin to leave, begging him to stay.

         Rin stood guard at Aichiro's side all throughout the day and into the night. He listened intently to the in and out of Aichiro's breath.

         Until there wasn't one. 

         Rin rushed to Aichiro's side, shaking him to try to wake him. But nothing would rouse the boy.

         He was gone, for the fiftieth time.

* * *

        Time and time again, Rin found Nitori. Time and time again, he lost him. 

        The 351st time, Rin was a simple farmer. Worn and weathered from a long life in the sun, he'd had a good life. A wife, who'd passed a few years before. But no children to carry on his name.

        Nitori was a small boy from another village, brought to the town riding on a trade wagon because of the fire that'd been set to his hometown. With no home and no money and no family, he lived on the streets. 

        Rin took a single look at him, curled up behind a stall, and offered him a deal with an outstretched hand: work with him on the farm in exchange for everything he'd ever need.

        Young Nitori agreed. 

        His small hands were smooth and fragile, unaccustomed to hard labor. They bled, endlessly the first few weeks. But ever day, at the crack of dawn, he was out in Rin's fields with him. 

        His determination was strong, and he refused to back down out of his promise. 

        Rin grew to care for the boy as if Nitori were his own son, and treated him as such. Nitori felt the same way. 

        Nitori grew into a strong young man, beautiful and kind but strong and sturdy. He was the village favorite. 

        Bandits came for them one night. One with striking green eyes, the other with searing blue. A knife was thrown in Nitori's direction and Rin, now a wrinkled old man, jumped in front of him, hoping beyond hope in the back of his mind _I must save him this time_.

        He fell to the floor, the knife deep in his chest, only a small thought towards _why_ he'd think something like that.

        Nitori screamed, but Rin could not make out the words. Nitori lunged at the bandits, but was detained and another blade plunged directly into his heart. 

        The last thing Rin saw before his vision went black was Nitori's lifeless eyes as he fell to the floor.

* * *

        Rin was a slave in his 500th life. Born and breed. 

        Raised side by side with Makoto, they grew up like brothers. They were bought by the same man, too. 

        They worked and bunked with Haru and Ai. It wasn't comfortable work, but they were at least taken care of.

        But then more than half the slaves tried to revolt and escape. The four were caught in the middle of it all. 

        The second in command to their master, an ugly man who hated slaves like they were worse than the mud on his boots, stood on top of a building far above them. He had a gun, recently imported from across the sea. 

        He shot the gun into the middle of the group, not caring who he hit. 

        But Rin only cared about the first one. The one that had hit Ai.

        He was limp in Rin's arms. Rin just stared at him, wide eyed. 

        "No!" he screamed. "Nooooo!" He fell to his knees, holding Ai tight while Ai's blood soaked through Rin's clothes. "He was innocent! He was innocent!"

        No one heard him

* * *

        Whatever else happened, 794 was a good life. 

        A conman in that life, partnered with Haru, a master thief.

        The perfect partners in crime. 

        Nitori was a famous painter who always did the most beautiful works of art. 

        He was their next target. If Rin couldn't get the piece from Nitori willingly, Haru would steal it from right under his nose. 

        Or Haru would just use Rin as a distraction and take the painting before Rin could even bring it up in conversation. One of the three.

        Rin grew attached and, while Haru wasn't happy about it, stopped his criminal life. He left it behind, all for Nitori. 

        Only Nitori. 

        A year passed, and they were happy together. Rin had made plans to propose, though they couldn't be married until another year later when he was of age. And it'd technically only be in spirit. Nothing legal about two men marrying in those ages.

        But the night Rin had gone to- Nitori was gone again.

* * *

        Rin's 843rd life was interesting.

        He was a Yakuza, the son of the head. 

        Nitori was a girl in this life, the daughter of a man who couldn't pay his debts.

        He sold his daughter to them, but before anything terrible could happen to her, Rin stepped in.

        Rin was twenty-five, she was only fourteen. She was scared out of her mind of him, she didn't know what he would do to her. 

        But Rin was nothing but kind. Yes, he taught her to wield a gun. Yes, he taught her how to protect herself. But he never touched her in a bad way. 

        Nitori learned to trust him, eventually she loved him.

        Two years later, Rin was the top boss. And he had a lot of enemies.

        Nitori was kidnapped, right from their home. She was held hostage, and Rin went after her alone.

        A gun to the side of her head. A wrong step from Rin. The gun went off and Nitori fell.

        She wasn't the only one who died that night.

* * *

         995 was the longest Rin ever knew Nitori. 

        They were born, days apart, and lived right next to each other all their lives. 

        It was something new for both of them. 

        It wasn't acceptable, the feelings they both harbored. 

        Two young _boys_. They hid kisses in the shadows, though their touches lasted longer and their eyes wandered. 

        They were almost out of high school, almost at an age when they'd be able to leave the hateful gazes of their parents behind. 

        War was not a pretty thing.

        Rin had been out of town with when the bomb hit. The Atom Bomb.

        Nitori never had a chance.

* * *

        One thousand. One _thousand_. _One_ thousand.

        Rin didn't know the significance, but he'd always been thinking of the number ever since Nitori had moved into his room the year before.

        The thought popped up whenever Rin looked at him.

        They were in swimming practice, and Rin watched as Nitori dived.

        But something was off. His dive was botched, and he only sunk further into the water. 

        Rin wanted to go after him, but his feet were frozen to the ground. _Why bother? He's only going to die anyway-_

        There was a pull on his chest, as if his soul was being pulled out of his body.

        The place Rin was in was like the sky at night, but a bright, bright blue tinged with pink along the bottom. 

        Before him stood a man that looked remarkably like Haru. Except- he was much older. He wore dark robes, a long, gnarled staff in his knobby hands. Dark lines were carved into his skin, but he still held Haru's grace and aloof expression.

        "Save him," the man said. "He's taken the punishment I set forth for you. You've no need to make him suffer anymore."

        Rin clenched his fists to his sides, memories of different people, all whom vaguely looked like Nitori, dying. Usually in his arms. "You-" he growled. 

        The man held up a hand to interrupt him. "He was innocent, he never once felt the pain of dying. Save for that first time: he felt the pain of all his lives to come. That's probably what killed him." Rin didn't like his way of talking, as if it were nothing. "If you don't save him now, he will feel the pain."

        "Then send me back," Rin demanded. "Let me save him! I don't know what I did, but let me save him!"

        The man smirked. "Of course." Everything began to fade around Rin. "Oh, and Matsuoka-san? You've learned by now, but I'll warn you one more time: don't take out your petty revenge on those who had been your rivals in love."

        Rin began falling through a deep, black abyss, the words _The Darkness will consume you if you do_ echoing in his ears.

        Rin stumbled back, now in his own body. Nitori still hadn't resurfaced. 

        He dashed towards the pool and pulled Nitori up from out of the water, spluttering and coughing on water. 

        "Someone go get the nurse!" Rin shouted, a couple of his teammates running off to follow the order. Rin pulled Nitori out of the pool and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. "Are you okay?"

        Nitori nodded shakily. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine now, thank you."

        Rin grinned. "I'll always protect you."

        Nitori gave him a confused look, which Rin brushed off for a later date. 

        That lifetime, Nitori made it to seventeen. The first time he ever had. 

        In fact, he had the longest life either him or Rin had ever had before.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, wow. That turned out a lot more Rintori centric than I'd planned... I'd originally planned on this being MakoHaru. Didn't work out that way, huh?
> 
> I do hope you enjoyed! Have a lovely day/night!


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